Crain to Interview with UL System Board for Southeastern Presidency – Shonrock Withdraws Candidacy

BATON ROUGE – The Board of Supervisors for the University of Louisiana System will decide tomorrow if Southeastern Louisiana University Interim President John Crain will take the helm permanently.  Crain is one of two finalists selected last week by the Southeastern Presidential Search Committee to interview with the full Board.  The second finalist, Michael Shonrock of Texas Tech University, withdrew his candidacy late Sunday evening.

“Dr. Shonrock was a strong candidate.  It is unfortunate that the full Board will not get a chance to interview him, but we respect his decision and wish him well,” said University of Louisiana System President Randy Moffett.

The Southeastern Presidential Search Committee concluded its business last week after conducting interviews with candidates and selecting the finalists.  The decision now rests with the UL System Board, who will hold a special meeting to interview Crain at 9:30 a.m., Tuesday, Feb. 17 in the Claiborne Building Auditorium (1201 N. Third Street) in Baton Rouge. 

With more than 15,000 students, Southeastern is Louisiana’s third largest public university. The university was recently named “a great college to work for” by the Chronicle of Higher Education. Since 1990, Southeastern has been one of the fastest growing universities in the state, with an enrollment growth that has exceeded the state average. At the same time, the university increased admission requirements and its regional and statewide profile. This fall, incoming freshmen with an ACT of 24 or above increased by 19 percent.

The university is a catalyst for economic development along I-12, playing a central role in workforce development, strategic partnerships, the generation and transfer of ideas and technology and enhancing the quality of life in communities throughout the region.

For more information about the Southeastern search, including candidate applications and an independent review of the Southeastern campus, visit the UL System’s website at www.ulsystem.edu and click on the Southeastern search icon.

 -ULS-